American
cartoonists and writers may not have invented the comic strip, but some
argue that the comics, as we know them today, are an American creation.
Clearly, the United States has played an outsize role in the
development of this underappreciated art form.
3.30.1888: J. R. Williams, the creator of Out Our Way, is born in Nova Scotia, Canada. The strip ran from 1922 to 1977 and was known for its depiction of American rural life.
3.30.1920: Tex Blaisdell is born in Houston, Texas. He worked on 22 syndicated features, including Little Orphan Annie, which he drew for five years, and Prince Valiant.
3.30.1930: Bucks Rogers in the 25th Century A.D. expands from a daily strip by adding a Sunday feature. The comic was popular enough to inspire other science-fiction strips, including Flash Gordon.
3.30.1969: Edgar Martin's long-running Boots and Her Buddies (launched in 1924) finally ends its run.
3.30.1997: Frank Cho begins syndicating Liberty Meadows in newspapers. Set in an animal rehabilitation clinic, the comic starred assorted human staffers and anthropomorphic animals.
3.30.2015: Dana Simpson’s web comic, Heavenly Nostrils, begins appearing in newspapers under a new name, Phoebe and Her Unicorn.
3.30.2019: Ballard Street, a comic introduced by Jerry Van Amerongen in 1991, comes to an end. It initially ran in strip format before switching to a single-panel format.
3.30.1920: Tex Blaisdell is born in Houston, Texas. He worked on 22 syndicated features, including Little Orphan Annie, which he drew for five years, and Prince Valiant.
3.30.1930: Bucks Rogers in the 25th Century A.D. expands from a daily strip by adding a Sunday feature. The comic was popular enough to inspire other science-fiction strips, including Flash Gordon.
3.30.1969: Edgar Martin's long-running Boots and Her Buddies (launched in 1924) finally ends its run.
3.30.1997: Frank Cho begins syndicating Liberty Meadows in newspapers. Set in an animal rehabilitation clinic, the comic starred assorted human staffers and anthropomorphic animals.
3.30.2015: Dana Simpson’s web comic, Heavenly Nostrils, begins appearing in newspapers under a new name, Phoebe and Her Unicorn.
3.30.2019: Ballard Street, a comic introduced by Jerry Van Amerongen in 1991, comes to an end. It initially ran in strip format before switching to a single-panel format.
 |
| Liberty Meadows |
Most of the information listed here from one day to the next comes from two online sites -- Wikipedia, and Don Markstein's Toonopedia -- as well as 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics, edited by Maurice Horn. Note
that my focus is on American newspaper comic strips (and the occasional
foreign strip that gained popularity in the United States). Thus, comic
books and exclusively online comics are not included here.
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